Warbird Information Exchange

Friend and fellow Wixxer Ken, not yet establishing a photo bucket account asked if I would post some of his wife's Grandfathers pictures. He was a B-17 Pilot and would like any information you may have.

Steve,

I never did do a photobucket account. Here are some shots of Jennifer's
step-grandfather who I told you about flying 22 B-17 missions at the end
of WWII. I believe his airplane was B-17G-10-VE 42-39993, 401st BG.

Feel free to post on WIX and I'll follow up with more info when I get
time.

Ken







Steve

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"

As a huge B-17 fan, thanks for posting. That is great stuff. Love the A-2 jacket.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

From Freeman/Osborne:

Delivered Long beach 28/10/43; assigned 612BS/401BG; (SC-C);
assigned Deenethorpe 1/1/44; landing accident 4/5/45; sal 2 Sad 8/5/45

Yes, Grandpa Jim is doing well at 87 - still playing golf, keeping up with politics, current events, finance, the occasional university course. He still drives. Athough I've only met him a few times, he's a hoot to talk with. He doesn't mind talking about the B-17, nor is he one who seems defined by it. He seems to think they were a bunch of kids who wanted to be somewhere else, but did their duty. He was telling me about coming across the Memphis Belle movie the other day on TV. I asked if he thought it was too Hollywood - he said, essentially, that the Hollywood movies he never cared for were the clean-cut, everyone's in a good mood ones and that the Belle movie was more accuarate in his eyes - except, of course, that everything that happened on that final mission might have been the sum of a whole tour's experience. He told me about having most of his tail shot off on one mission; the waist gunners had to pull the tail gunner in from the destroyed stinger and administer morphine. He also told me about the time an Me-262 pulled alongside just to wave -- either out of ammo or gas (or both). They waved back and he was gone. Jim's told me more than I can write here ... and, interestingly enough, he seems more interested in comparing notes about how we fly C-130s and airliners today. We've discovered that not too much has changed when you get down to it - we've just had alot of "improvements". I asked him how they named their plane "Hell's Angel Out of Chute 13" ... they didn't, it was already named that when they were assigned the plane. He got out and, after a few years, returned to the USAF and served a full career, mostly flying helicopters. Although some would rather hear the B-17 stories, he seems more interested in talking about pioneering the art of the helo flying rescues in Alaska. His kids are trying to get him to tell his stories to be recorded - I hope they pull it off.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."